EPA chief praises bayou project

Buffalo Bayou runs for 53 miles, winding through Houston's sprawl before flowing in the shadows of downtown. But the stream for decades was hardly noticed and often trashed.

On Thursday, the Environmental Protection Agency's administrator took her first look at city's historically hidden asset and described its ongoing ecological restoration as a model for others.

EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy said the work to add hike-and-bike trails along the bayou, to restore native grasses that help filter water of pollutants and to prevent flooding by adding open space is an example of how cities can confront a changing climate.

"We have ways to make progress, like this project," she said after touring a stretch of the bayou with Mayor Annise Parker. "You don't have to be afraid of taking action on climate. You have to be afraid of not taking action."

Parker said the city can defend itself against a changing climate through "green infrastructure" that brings environmental benefits, such as clean water, storm protection and carbon sequestration.

"We're coping with more and more extreme events, and so we need to be resilient," she said.

The project is part of a $215-million effort to link Houston's major bayous with trails and parks, an initiative known as Bayou Greenways 2020. The work is scheduled to be completed in seven years, said Roksan Okan-Vick, president of the nonprofit Houston Parks Board, which is leading the public-private project.

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McCarthy toured the bayou before speaking at an energy industry event about federal standards for emissions of carbon dioxide and other heat-trapping emissions from power plants.